Free Conflicted (The Existing Series Book 2) by A.M. Guilliams Page A

but thank you,” Andrew replied, apparently knowing just why I’d done what I did.
    A few minutes later, Sam had all of our food on two trays and handed them across the counter to Magdalena and me, while Andrew still held Liam in his arms. Only he wasn’t as cheerful as he was moments ago. He had his thumb in his mouth and his head leaned onto his father’s shoulder. I knew that look all too well. He was getting tired. He had the same telltale signs that Grace displayed when she was getting tuckered out.
    Magdalena took the lead and walked us over to the far end of the sandwich shop. We all sat down, Andrew putting Liam in his lap, and got our food situated. Hopefully, this outing wouldn’t continue to have an awkwardness looming in the background. Once she told me why she was here, I’d feel much better about the situation. I liked to plan things. Know the outcome before it actually happened. I’d always been the need to know kind of guy. And right now I needed to know what in the world they wanted to come of this.
    After she’d cut up Liam’s sandwich into smaller squares, she sat his plate in front of Andrew so that he could eat. They both took a bite of their sandwich, but I couldn’t eat just yet. My stomach was in knots just thinking about what they’d say.
    Magdalena picked up the napkin and wiped her mouth then took a sip of her tea before she looked up at me.
    “How long of a lunch break do you get?” she asked. Not exactly what I expected her to lead with.
    “An hour,” I replied as I picked up my glass of tea just to have something to do with my trembling hands.
    She shook her head and took another bite but said nothing, causing my nerves to skyrocket. I wasn’t this person. I never felt this way until recently. Until one woman made me question everything within my life. Until I’d woken up one day and wished I could return to my dream. Because in that place, I’d already dealt with all of this grief. All of this pain. Only now, I had to face it head on. Actually dredge through the heartache to come out on the other side. Forge my own path. Make my own decisions on how to get there. And this time, I’d have to do it without having the focus of the green-eyed girl sitting before me.
    “How did you feel when you woke up?” she asked. A question I wasn’t expecting. I thought I’d at least get some basics out of the way first, but she’d decided to go with the direct approach. I didn’t know whether to be thankful or not. I attempted to swallow, but my throat felt tight at what I’d have to reveal. If I chose to tell the truth that is. No one said I had to be that upfront about what I’d experienced. That was personal. A feeling that I didn’t know if her husband would appreciate or not.
    I thought it over and decided that telling the truth should always be the way to go.
    “Honestly, I woke up and thought I was still back at my dad’s ranch. Only when I truly took in my surroundings did I realize that wasn’t the case. My immediate thought was for Grace, so I ran to her room without thinking and made sure she was safe and sound. Once I’d calmed my racing heart and eased the worry that I’d caused myself, I started to question why I was back at a place I was sure I’d left. I took in everything about the apartment and went back to my room only to be more confused than ever when I saw the person that I thought left our lives for good. I felt crazy so I picked up my phone and checked the date. Instead of feeling relieved, my head started to hurt with all of the questions that I had. That’s the reason you saw me at Dr. Harold’s office that day. How about you?” I confessed in one long breath. Only when I’d stopped talking did I allow more air into my depleted lungs.
    “Done, Daddy,” Liam announced, gaining all of our attention. He’d pushed his plate back onto the table and twisted his body so that he could lay his head back on his father’s shoulder. Andrew wrapped his arm